Bar Ricardo

After being in many many tapas bars in Valencia and in Spain in general I would mark this one as the best of the best. Service was superb, everyone were super friendly and helpful, helped me choose the best plates for me. They have a huge variety of wines and food, everything is super fresh and delicious. I would probably have to go back there several times more just to try more and more things.

I had the tenderloin topped with grilled foie gras and it was absolutely incredible. The meat was perfectly cooked and juicy, but the real magic was the foie on top, so soft and buttery, melting slightly into the meat and making every bite rich and intense. It’s such a simple concept, but done so well. Pure Spanish bar culture, quality ingredients, bold flavour, no fuss. One of those bites you remember long after you leave.

Great food and service. We didn’t book ahead and only had an hour, but still left very full. The waiter warned us we might not have time to finish our order—turns out the kitchen had no trouble keeping up, and the food was too good to leave behind.

Very chill before 7 p.m., the service was incredibly nice and I loved that there was a possibility to order smaller 1/2 portions of each dish so that we could try more.

authentic tapas bar. if you can, try to book at the front tables directly at the bar, as you’ll get mesmerized by the expertise of the staff and the huge trays of oily patatas bravas (one of the best in valencia). I strongly recommend chipirones a la plancha, unbelievably tasty and usually hard to find. I loved the zamburiñas, the shimps cooked with garlic and the fried zucchini filled with shrimps and ricotta. basque cheesecake was very good as well; the atmosphere is incredible and the staff is very friendly

Unfortunately, this restaurant is significantly overpriced for what you receive. Many of the dishes were overly oily, and for such a highly rated place, I honestly expected much more in the quality. It feels far overrated. The wine was very good and definitely worth it, and the service was excellent. The waiters were extremely friendly and professional, which was the highlight of the experience. However, aside from the good wine and kind staff, there is little I would specifically recommend or return for. 2 out of 5 stars.

Great experience! Looks OK from the street but it’s a well-hidden gem! Very cute inside with fresh fish and sea food! We had snails, fish, octopus and it was all delicious!!! Wine was excellent and affordable! Happy with our find!!

Excellent service, delicious food and even if you’re not a seafood/fish lover, you won’t leave hungry.:)

The spot to go when you're in Valencia and want a proper Spanish meal.... As good as it gets.

Local restaurant with the best tapas so far on my vacation! My favorites were the prawns, scallops, razor clams! Make sure you make a reservation! This is where all the locals eat so it gets busy.

This was our best eating in Valencia. And there was a lot of very very very very good eating in Valencia. * * * Bar Ricardo is a tapas place. They have big plates too. They have just about anything Spanish you could want to eat at Bar Ricardo. And it is damm damm damm damm good. * * * We showed up "too early for dinner" on a midweek night. (Sevenish). Most of the tables were reserved and the ones that were not reserved had people at them. We got two seats at the bar. Within ten minutes, all the seats at the bar were taken. When we left at 10 pm, there were long long lines of people outside waiting to get in. The people inside had no intention of leaving. Nearly everyone appeared to be a Valencian. The only tourists in sight were Samuel C and his wife. I think you can infer from this that Valencians like Bar Ricardo. They like it a lot. * * * The menu here is huge. So you can order none of what we had and still do very well. I had Galician octopus (which was just okay) And the preserved anchovies they keep in a tray at the front of the bar. The anchovies were to die for. The anchovies made me forget any doubts I might have had while eating my octopus. My wife ordered her traditional grilled vegetable platter. This came on a huge platter big enough to give vegetables to everyone in your family. (This is probably just how the vegetable platter is really used.) The vegetables were one taste sensation after another ... And we had already had an amazing vegetable platter an earlier night at La Mistela. The vegetables we have been eating just keep getting better and better. * * * We were near the kitchen and we could see one spectacular dish after another being brought out of the kitchen to be served to other patrons. If I could have been the Yelp Bandido and come down from the hills to steal some of those dishes just as they were coming out of that kitchen, I would probably have eaten the best meal that has ever been written about in the history of Yelp. * * * Well, in real life, I could not eat every dish they bring out of the kitchen at Bar Ricardo. But there WAS room for dessert. (There is always room for dessert. This is a scientific law.) And awaiting me at the end of my meal, Like my own personal Holy Grail ... Was the house cheesecake. Bar Ricardo's Tarta de Queso. Never mind Jewish cheesecake or the stuff you get in delis. Never mind the cheesecake you get served in American steakhouses. This was Santa Tarta de Quesa - the patron saint of all cheesecakes. Santa Tarta de Quesa goes all over the world seeking out the cries of the afflicted and unhappy. If they are good and pious and show the highest level of Christian virtue, Then out of the clouds comes a beacon of light. You see the face of the Santissima Santa surrounded by all of the angels. She sends down a bevy of doves carrying a plate of Bar Ricardo's Tarta de Quesa on a silver platter. You eat the Tarta de Quesa bathed in silver and tourmaline light. And all of your woes and despairs on this earth will disappear. In the silver and tourmaline light, there is no pain. There is no suffering. Having been visited by Santa Tarta da Quesa does not mean you have gone to heaven once and for all. You will still have to be good for the rest of your days. But for one moment, you will have known what pure and divine happiness is. Remember this cheesecake. Remember it always. * * * As I mentioned before, there are long lines to get into Bar Ricardo. I think I know why.

Spent a lovely June afternoon outside Bar Ricardo underneath umbrellas in the sun. It was my first introduction to Patatas Bravas and the garlicky Spanish alioli that goes with them. Not normally a huge potato fan, I found them delicious. As a larger group, we sampled all of the tapas, several salads, and a number of dishes - more than enough for our group, but there was nothing left at the end of the afternoon.